There were 4 errors in the original debug page, two of typing, two of fact (all now corrected): did you catch them? There are now several more hints ...

1. Make sure your CAPS LOCK key is off. Unix is case sensitive-always!
2. Know your Pegasus login/username and password. If you can't get in, you can't get it on.
3. Use pwd frequently. If you're not in your public_html directory, forget it.
4. Use ls -l often. (That's "el" "ess" "space" "dash" "el".) If you don't know your filename, oh well.. This command also gives you dates and sizes.
5. Know your editor. If you are using Pico, read the bottom line menu.
6. In Pico, don't hesitate to call up help (CTRL-G).
7. Make sure you know which file does what. A safe, non-editing Pegasus command is more filename which shows contents by screenfuls.
8. Learn shortcuts: the wildcard * cover all the characters in a filename or directory name -- the wildcard ? covers just one chatracter
9. The Pegasus command line has a buffer. See if you can bring up the command stack with CTRL-P (previous) and CTRL-N (next). What comes up can be edited character by character with CTRL-B (back) and CTRL-F (forward). These are common to Unix, Pico, and Emacs.
10. There is no Unix undelete command. If you have to delete a file (or group of files) stop and double check yourself each time.
11. If you get a permsissions error after doing chmod 755 filename, go to your root directory (cd, pwd) and do chmod 755 public_html.
12. Unix replies to a command only if it can't execute it.
13. If your code doesn't work, check punctuation: make sure you're not missing a single angle bracket or quotation mark anywhere.
14. If your code still doesn't work, check spelling: make sure you haven't mispelled a tag, an attribute, or a value -- or used the wrong tag.
15. If again your code doesn't work, check opening/closing tags pairs are present, correct, and matching in each and every tag set
16. If still there's trouble, check conflicts where a later tag overrides an earlier one.
17. If the display isn't to your liking but you don't know the cause, insert tracers, save, and display. My favorites are zzz., yyy, xxx, etc. Their visible position may pinpoint the location of the problem.
18. When you're ready to customize Pico, you can make CTRL-K delete to the end of the line instead of the entire line with pico -k filename
19. When you're ready to outgrow Pico, keep in mind that many of the same commands work in its bigger brother (sister?), emacs.
20. Pico can search -- class pronouncements to the contrary -- try CTRL-W. Pico can also replace but you'll have to modify the configuration.
    • Launch the pine mail reader (pegasus> pine)
    • From the mainmenu, select S for SETUP
    • Then select C for CONFIGURE
    • When the options appear, scroll down to search-and-replace and [x] the box
    • Save and exit
    • The next time you run Pico, the search command (CTRL-W) will give you a replace option (CTRL-R)

465_debug.html
Sept 28. 2001, corrected Oct 4, 8, 23
Heyward Ehrlich
ehrlich@andromeda.rutgers.edu